Want to play Half-Life: Alyx? Here’s the VR gear you want

Valve’s new Half-Life game, Half-Life: Alyx, a first-person shooter set within the duration ahead of Half-Life 2, is after all right here, and it is superb. You regulate Alyx Vance within the virtual reality global as she and her father battle an alien empire — however you want a VR headset to play the game. You’ll be at liberty to grasp that numerous VR headsets fit. Valve’s personal VR headset, the Index, is a wonderful technique to play — however it is pricey, and there are different choices.

Half-Life: Alyx works with more than a few Windows-based Steam VR-compatible headsets, or even with Facebook’s standalone Oculus Quest. I have performed on each the Index and Quest to this point. Your VR gaming choices for tactics to play are wider than you might imagine.

Here are some choices to believe to start out enjoying this virtuoso VR game (and likewise have in mind, you want a gaming PC with sure specifications, too).

Read extra: Playing the dystopian Half-Life: Alyx in a real-life dystopia

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The least expensive VR gear for taking part in Half-Life: Alyx

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Valve’s pricey VR setup has its personal distinctive movement controllers that measure finger movement, and Half-Life: Alyx is designed to profit from the ones controllers. If you might have a Vive VR, you’ll be able to get Valve’s new controllers one after the other and upload them on for much less cash than an entire new headset would value. Valve is together with Half-Life: Alyx at no cost with purchases of its Index bundles.

The Index supplies an ideal show and audio revel in however calls for put in Lighthouse light-emitting monitoring sensor packing containers to your room, as a substitute of the use of in-headset self-contained movement monitoring. The Index is a ache to arrange on account of its cables and lighthouse packing containers, however it is superb for an immersive revel in. It’s exhausting to seek out in inventory, alternatively. Read our Valve Index review.

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The years-old Vive nonetheless works and is steadily on sale. It does not have the most efficient show answer any longer, however it is going to do. You can get this and upload on Valve Index controllers one after the other if you wish to have. The Valve Index and its new controllers are cross-compatible with Vive’s , which additionally runs off SteamVR. If you wish to have to improve to items of the Index later (I would suggest the controllers, no less than), you’ll be able to.

The Vive comes within the unique model and a higher-res Vive Pro fashion. Shop round and notice what offers you’ll be able to get. Read our HTC Vive review.

Samsung

Microsoft’s line of third-party VR headsets are affordable and paintings with integrated headset monitoring. Many of those Windows Mixed Reality headsets are inexpensive and paintings with Steam. The Odyssey, steadily on sale, has a fine quality show and construct. It’s the most efficient of the now just about forgotten headsets that Dell, HP and Acer put out a couple of years in the past. I have never attempted it out but with Half-Life: Alyx.

Oculus

Oculus’ PC-connected VR headset does not require exterior cameras, doing all movement monitoring in the course of the cameras at the headset. The Rift S is a brilliant headset, and it is SteamVR like minded. It’s additionally reasonably inexpensive at $399. I am not positive it is the most efficient Half-Life: Alyx possibility to your gameplay revel in, nevertheless it must paintings. The Rift S is tricky to seek out in inventory in recent times too. Read extra concerning the Oculus Rift S.

Read extra:The best possible VR headsets for 2020

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The Oculus Quest is a standalone VR headset. Technically, it will paintings with Half-Life: Alyx when the use of the proper USB-C cable to connect with a PC. It would not be the most suitable option for gameplay, however is usually a interesting selection for somebody who already has a Quest.